Stinger To Be Removed From Dorney Park

Dorney Park announced today that they will be making some changes in 2018 to focus on the parks food & beverage infrastructure and other enhancements that will improve the guest experience.

So what’s changing? We’ll start with the unexpected.. After just 5 years, Dorney Park will be removing Stinger during the off-season to make room for “future developments”. The coaster opened in 2012 after being re-located from California’s Great America. This doesn’t surprise us, since the ride had a lot of downtime and seemed to have low ridership when it was running. The park isn’t releasing any more details about what will be replacing Stinger, but they are way overdue for a new coaster.

So what’s our guess? Well, during IAAPA 2015, we asked Matt Ouimet, (current President of Cedar Fair) about when Dorney Park will be getting its next new coaster.. his response was: “soon” with a smile. That was two years ago… So, we still have our fingers crossed on soon lol.. With the removal of Stinger and Dinosaurs Alive ending after the 2018 season, this will free up plenty of space for a new coaster. Although nothing has been confirmed, we will go out on a limb and speculate a bit by saying an RMC with raptor track seems fitting for this park, especially after California’s Great America announced their RMC addition for 2018.

When Dorney Park opens for its 135th season of operation on April 28, 2018 – guests will notice some new things around the park. While it might not be a shiny new coaster, many of the mentioned upgrades will certainly enhance the guest experience.

Thunderhawk will be getting more well deserved TLC! About 150 feet of track will be replaced from the exit of the “figure 8” to the final approach.

Over on the Wild Water Kingdom side of the park, construction on the new Tidal Wave Café is on schedule and should be ready to open for Memorial Day weekend. Demolition and grading are now complete while and footers for the building are in-progress. In addition to the new building, a larger shaded seating area will be added as well. You can take a peek at the progress in the photo below.

Dorney has recently named a new Executive Chef; Donald Stauffer, who has already jumped in and started working on a menu for the Tidal Wave Café. Guests can look forward to customizing their meals with items such as Build Your Own Mac & Cheese Bowls. Options will include buffalo chicken, or Carolina BBQ, just to name a few.

Tidal Wave Café isn’t the only menu Chef Stauffer has been working on. Over at “The Chef’s Grill”, he’s been cooking up a few new items for that menu as well. The Chef’s Grill will feature weekly specials based off of popular food truck menus. The full menu is still being finalized, but the special items below will be made to eat on the go.

Two Coke Refresh Stations will be upgraded — one in the dry park and one in the waterpark. Plus, an additional Refresh Station will be attached to the Tidal Wave Café in Wildwater Kingdom.

And last but not least, the main restroom facilities in Wildwater Kingdom will also be getting an over-haul. While this isn’t as exciting as a new ride, it sure is refreshing walking into an up-to-date restroom.

Dorney Park will open for its 135th season of operation on April 28, 2018. What do you think will be replacing Stinger? Let us know on our socials!

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